Fiction. Latino/Latina Studies. Set in a remote stretch of desert near the border of west Texas and Mexico at the turn of the twentieth century, this story follows the pursuits of Owen Scraperton as he struggles to establish Pristina, a utopian community based on mercury mining that aims to resolve the great questions of labor and race. As age, love, and experience cause Owen to modify his original vision, his fiercely idealistic daughter Victoria remains true to Pristina's founding principles—setting them up for a major conflict that captures the imagination of the entire town. THE MERCURY FOUNTAIN combines realistic modern writing with elements from American and Greco-Roman mythology, taking its cue from Mercury, the most slippery and mischievous of gods, who rules over science, commerce, eloquence, and thievery.

Author City: BROOKLYN, NY USA

Eliza Factor was born in 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. THE MERCURY FOUNTAIN (Akashic Books, 2012) is her debut novel.

Reviews and Other Links
Publishers Weekly